Re: counting problem to spell MATH

I got twelve by following it round, almost as if it were a clock, but then I noticed that there are other ways (e.g. left, up, left). I'm sure there's a way to be sure (this isn't really my area of expertise) but just a cursory attempt at a brute force solution seems to suggest to me that 16's a pretty good answer.

Re: counting problem to spell MATH

Draw the grid and letters and write a 1 over the M. There's only one M so all routes start there.

Now go to an A. There are 4 of these so write a 1 over each. (see picture)

Now to go to a T. I've just shown the ways to get to one of the Ts. You can go up then right, or right then up so I've written a 2 over that T. Do the same for the other Ts.

Now how can you get to an H from a T? Work that out and write the correct number over each H. Add them up and there's your answer.

EDIT: I'm getting a lot more than 16.

Bob

Last edited by bob bundy (2013-09-29 09:31:20)

Children are not defined by school ...........The FonzYou cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo GalileiSometimes I deliberately make mistakes, just to test you! …………….Bob Bundy

Re: counting problem to spell MATH

Re: counting problem to spell MATH

Hi jacks

I'd say 28 is correct.

Here lies the reader who will never open this book. He is forever dead.Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most. ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and PunishmentThe knowledge of some things as a function of age is a delta function.

Re: counting problem to spell MATH

Re: counting problem to spell MATH

If anybody is interested, my method is:

I looked at the upper left-hand side only. H HT HTAHTAM

In this part, there are 2^3 paths which produce MATH, because, at every letter we can either go up or right, and there are 3 places where we make the choice.It's the same for the other 3, so it's 32 total, but, because we counted each straight path twice, we subtract 4 to get the number of possible ways to spell MATH to be 28.

Here lies the reader who will never open this book. He is forever dead.Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most. ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and PunishmentThe knowledge of some things as a function of age is a delta function.

Re: counting problem to spell MATH

hi

I think 28 too.

Bob

Children are not defined by school ...........The FonzYou cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself..........Galileo GalileiSometimes I deliberately make mistakes, just to test you! …………….Bob Bundy

Re: counting problem to spell MATH

I like it when my answer agrees with somebody else's.

Here lies the reader who will never open this book. He is forever dead.Taking a new step, uttering a new word, is what people fear most. ― Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Crime and PunishmentThe knowledge of some things as a function of age is a delta function.